BOO! HAPPY HALLOWEEN

My daughter Annie comes home from school and said, "Mom I volunteered you to make bread for my Spanish Class". I started this bread at 6:30 p.m. last night and finished this morning at 1:00 a.m. She is such a joy in my life.
Recipe: Bread of the Dead

Special sweet loaves called panes de muerto are prepared for this day to please the living and the dead. They represent "souls" of the departed. They are oval or round and have raised skulls and crossbones. The consumption of this bread recalls the taking of bread in Communion.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp anise seed
2 pkgs dry yeast

Combine and heat in saucepan
1/2 milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup margarine

Set aside for later use
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour

Ingredients for glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tblsp grated orange peel

Mix dry ingredients, add warm liquid and beat. Add 4 eggs and 1 cup of flour and beat. Gradually blend in remaining flour. Knead on lightly floured board for 8-10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and let rise until doubled (1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down and make shapes. Let rise again for 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Boil glaze ingredients for 2 minutes. Apply to warm shapes.

Boooooooooooooooo!

Annie and her friend Carson at the church Halloween Celebration.

What's that hairy thing hanging from the light?

Wiskers on Wednesday

Meet Gus. Short for Augustus. He's my bad ass cat! He doesn't lounge around the house or jump in your lap for a scratch behind the ear like most cats do. Although I tried to make him a house cat, he just wouldn't have it. He's an outdoor stalker of prey. He spends most of his days and nights in the gutter. We call him Gus the Gutter Cat. If I could only get a picture of him on his throne, sunning on the gutter next to the street. If I had known he would have turned out like this, I would have named him "Rum Tum Tugger".

Flowers on Friday

This is my baby.... my lovely violet. I'm dedicating this picture to Wendy because she loves purple and to thank her for the wonderful goodie bag she gave us at Mentone.